Enhanced CPD guidance

Transcription

1 RECORD PLAN REFLECT DO Enhanced CPD guidance PROFESS ONALS

2 2 Contents 1 Introduction to Enhanced CPD 3 2 Summary of requirements 4 3 The scheme - plan, do, reflect, record 5 4 The hours requirement The amount required Spreading activity over the cycle 7 5 Keeping a CPD record The personal development plan The log of completed activity The evidence required from each activity Planning for your field of practice Linking to the development outcomes Reflection 12 6 Meeting the verifiable requirements 13 7 Types of activity that can be included 14 8 Recommended topics 14 9 Making your statements Annual CPD statement End of cycle statement Your cycle period Transitional arrangements Time off the register Temporary registrants Grace period Random sampling of CPD records 19

3 3 1 Introduction Keeping your skills, knowledge and competence up to date throughout your career is at the heart of what it means to be a dental professional. Continuous, lifelong learning and maintenance of skills are commitments you make as a professional to provide safe and appropriate services to the public. Continuing professional development (CPD) for dental professionals is defined in law as learning, training or other developmental activities which can reasonably be expected to maintain and develop a person s practice as a dentist or dental care professional, and is relevant to the person s field of practice. The approach to CPD is not one-size-fits-all for professionals, but needs to be tailored to the individual needs of your role, work setting and your patients. That is why the enhanced CPD scheme is designed to be flexible, so you can plan activity to suit your professional needs, and adapt your activity as required across your cycle. Keeping up to date and engaging in development activities helps assure the GDC and other bodies that you provide dental services safely to the public. This is the key reason for CPD being a requirement of registration. The requirements for the scheme are set out in law, the CPD rules, which give the GDC powers to act if registrants don t comply with their obligations.

4 4 2 Summary of requirements Remember More detail Professional Min. hours/cycle Dentist 100 Meet the hours requirement Dental therapist Dental hygienist Orthodontic therapist Clinical dental technician You must do CPD regularly, at least 10 hours every 2 years. Page 6 Dental nurse 50 Enhanced CPD: Your 5 year cycle Keep a CPD record Dental technician This must include: 50 1) Your personal development plan (PDP); 2) Your log of CPD activity completed; 3) Documentary evidence (e.g. certificate) from the CPD provider for all activity completed; It should also include an element of reflection. You will be declaring: Each CPD activity must have at least one of the GDC s development outcomes. Page 8 Make your annual statement The number of CPD hours you have done in that year; That you have kept a CPD record; That the activity you have done is relevant to your practice as a professional. You can log onto egdc at any time to make your statement for each year. Page 15

5 5 3 Your CPD cycle - plan, do, reflect, record The enhanced CPD scheme is designed to support dental professionals to gain maximum benefit from CPD activities. The plan, do, reflect, record model encourages you to proactively think about your professional needs, field of practice and the Standards for the Dental Team before embarking on CPD activity. In this way, the activity becomes more meaningful and applicable to areas that you have identified to maintain or build on. Plan The personal development plan (PDP) is used to help you identify your CPD needs for your cycle. You will create a plan for maintaining and developing your skills and knowledge within your field of practice, and how this relates to the GDC s development outcomes 1. Please refer to section five for more information on the PDP, field of practice and development outcomes. Do You will identify the verifiable CPD activity that best meets the professional needs set out in your PDP, and then complete your CPD activity consistently throughout your cycle. You might find that your field of practice or needs change, and you will need to adjust your plan and activity accordingly. Reflect Reflection is an important process for you to evaluate the impact of your CPD activity on meeting your professional needs for maintenance and development. Taking some time to review and reflect on your activities allows you to assess what benefits you have gained and how you have implemented your learning. After reflecting, you may find that you need to adjust your PDP and activity. Please refer to section 5.6 for more information on reflection. Record You need to record what CPD activity you have completed. A complete CPD record includes your log of activity with development outcomes linked to each activity, your personal development plan, and the evidence you have collected from each activity. You must also submit your annual statement each year to let the GDC know you are keeping up with the requirements of the scheme. You will be notified to make your CPD statement when you get your annual renewal notice, but you can update your statement at any point in the year on egdc. 1 The development outcomes are referred to as learning outcomes in the CPD rules

6 6 Ensure your evidence matches the verifiable CPD you are declaring each year Complete your annual statement Complete your end of cycle statement Review your activity Reflect on impact on your daily practice and patients Make a record of your reflection Adjust your PDP as needed REFLECT RECORD Your CPD cycle PLAN DO Think about your field of practice Identify your learning needs Link to the GDC s development outcomes Design your PDP Complete your CPD activity Collect evidence from each activity Meet your hours requirement Adjust your PDP as needed throughout your cycle 4 The hours requirement 4.1 The amount required Depending on your registrant title, you must do a certain minimum number of hours of verifiable CPD for each five year cycle, as set out below. You may continue to do non-verifiable CPD, however all hours submitted to the GDC must be verifiable. Registrant title Dentists Dental therapists Dental hygienists Orthodontic therapists Clinical dental technicians Dental nurses Dental technicians Minimum hours of verifiable CPD per five year cycle

7 7 The minimum hours requirement is not designed to drive your planning and activity. You should plan activity around what learning and maintenance needs you have, and for many dental professionals this will go beyond the minimum hours requirement. If you are registered under more than one title, you must do at least the minimum amount of CPD for the title with the highest CPD hours requirement. The CPD you do must include activity that is relevant to your current or intended field(s) of practice under all the titles you hold. Example If you are registered as a clinical dental technician and a dental technician you must do at least 75 hours CPD covering your field of practice under both roles. If you are registered as a dental therapist and an orthodontic therapist you must do at least 75 hours CPD covering your field of practice under both roles. 4.2 Spreading activity over the cycle It may not be possible for professionals to do CPD in every year of their cycle. However, CPD is more beneficial when spread throughout the cycle, rather than a large amount of activity in a short period of time. To encourage you to do regular activity, there is a requirement for you to do a minimum of 10 hours CPD for every two consecutive CPD years. You must not declare two consecutive years of your cycle with zero CPD. You may have more than one zero hours year for your five year cycle, as long as you are doing at least 10 hours every two years. The evidence you collect from your CPD must match the hours you are declaring for each year in your annual statement, so please ensure you are submitting this accurately. For more information on annual statements please see section 9. Examples Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 10 hours over 2 years If you declare 0 hours in year 1, you must do at least 10 hours in year 2 0 hours CPD 10 hours CPD 10 hours over 2 years If you declare 3 hours in year 1, you must do at least 7 hours in year 2 3 hours CPD 7 hours CPD 10 hours over 2 years If you declare 7 hours in year 2, you must do at least 3 hours in year 3 3 hours CPD 7 hours CPD 3 hours CPD

8 8 5 The CPD record Keeping a CPD record is an important part of maintaining your registration. You must keep a complete CPD record, which is made up of: A plan (which the GDC refers to as your personal development plan); Your log of completed activity; The evidence (e.g. certificates) you have collected from each activity. 5.1 The personal development plan (PDP) The PDP gives you the opportunity to think about what CPD will give you maximum benefit for maintaining and developing your practice as a dental professional. At the beginning of your cycle you will identify your maintenance and learning needs in your field of practice, and how this relates to the GDC s development outcomes. You can then plan how you will meet these needs through CPD activity regularly across your cycle. Your PDP can be created individually or in conjunction with your peers, your employer/line manager/commissioner or your wider dental team. Many health professionals find it useful to work with a mentor to develop their learning needs, and the GDC encourages you to build this kind of relationship where possible. An appraisal or learning needs assessment is encouraged to assist in identifying your maintenance and learning needs at the beginning of a cycle. You can also use information derived from patient feedback, complaints, audit, peer review, significant event analysis and processes, or dental practice evaluations, for example, to drive your planning and activity. For the GDC, your PDP must include: 1) The CPD you plan to undertake during your cycle, which must include CPD that is relevant to your current or intended field(s) of practice; 2) The anticipated development outcomes that will link to each activity; 3) The timeframes in which you expect to complete your CPD over your cycle. You might find that your field of practice or learning needs change, and so you should adjust your plan and activity accordingly. The GDC encourages you to review your plan annually as it relates to your role and daily work. Please note: The PDP is for your personal use. Having a PDP in place assures the GDC that your CPD activity supports your work as a dental professional. The GDC may ask to see your PDP to check you are keeping records which meet the minimum requirements as set out above. Beyond this, the details about which CPD you plan within the PDP are not evaluated by the GDC.

9 9 The GDC has provided a PDP template on our website which we think helps professionals think clearly about their individual learning and development needs, based on their field of practice. However, you are free to choose any other tools or templates instead, to help you get the most out of your CPD. You may create your own, use one created by your employer, colleagues, associations, professional bodies etc., as long as the GDC s requirements are met. 5.2 The log of completed activity As part of your CPD record for the GDC, you must keep a log of all verifiable activity you have undertaken, which must include the following details: The title and description of the CPD activity you completed; The date(s) it was undertaken; The number of hours, as shown on the evidence of completion (e.g. certificate) provided by the course provider. (Breaks and travel time do not count towards the number of hours of CPD); The GDC s development outcome(s) achieved from each CPD activity. It should also include a reflective element, or an indication that reflection has taken place. The GDC has provided an activity log template on our website, however you are free to choose any other tools or templates instead, to help you get the most out of your CPD. You may create your own, use one created by your employer, colleagues, associations, professional bodies etc., as long as the GDC s requirements are met. For any CPD to be verifiable, the activity must be recorded on your activity log, and you must have collected corresponding evidence (e.g. certificates). If the GDC requests to see your CPD record, please do not include any information about the non-verifiable CPD you have completed in your cycle. 5.3 The evidence required from each activity As part of your CPD record you must also obtain evidence of having completed the CPD activity. The evidence from the provider must include the following details: The subject, learning content, aims and objectives; The anticipated GDC development outcomes of the CPD; The date(s) that the CPD was undertaken; The total number of hours of CPD undertaken; The name of the professional who has participated in the CPD activity; That the CPD is subject to quality assurance, with the name of the person or body providing the quality assurance; Confirmation from the provider that the information contained in it is full and accurate. It should also include your registration number. In most circumstances, this evidence should come in the form of a certificate, where all the

10 10 required information is included on one document (this may be a physical or electronic copy). However, in some circumstances and depending on the activity, different forms of evidence may be collected. You must use your professional judgement to determine what evidence you need to demonstrate the activity is verifiable. You must keep all the evidence you collect for the duration of your five year cycle, and for five years after the completed cycle, in case the GDC requests to see your CPD record. Please see the GDC s CPD provider guidance for more information on what you should expect from providers of verifiable CPD on our website. This covers what we expect from providers when they credit CPD participation and some information on quality assurance measures you should expect from your CPD provider. 5.4 Planning CPD for your field of practice The CPD rules state that you must choose CPD that includes activities relevant to each field of practice you work in during your CPD cycle. Your CPD may support you to maintain current skills, or develop new skills within your current or future field of practice. Your field of practice encompasses a variety of aspects about your work as a professional beyond just your scope of practice. You should select CPD to reflect the full breadth of your work. In forming your PDP, you may wish to consider: The regular skills, practice and professional roles that you undertake. If you work in a specialist practice, have a professionally focussed area of work, or have educational roles, this should be reflected in your CPD planning and activity; Any additional skills you have in which the awarding body makes recommendations for CPD; The patient population that you treat and how you meet their needs; Your practice or work setting(s). Example 1 If you are a dental hygienist who works in a hospital service treating patients with complex medical needs, you will choose activity related to your role, which will be different from a dental hygienist who works in a general dental practice treating a large number of patients with dental implants. Example 2 If you are a dental technician working in a laboratory that specialises in implant restoration for general practices, you will choose some activity that will be different from a dental technician working in a laboratory that provides devices for an orthodontic practice. To see examples of how to use your field of practice to develop your PDP, please see our website.

11 Linking to the Standards for the Dental Team through development outcomes The Standards for the Dental Team set out the ethical principles of practice that all dental professionals embody in daily practice. In the scheme, the standards are brought to the forefront of your CPD planning and activity through the development outcomes. The four development outcomes encourage you to link your learning activity more closely to the standards, and support you to embed the principles further in your working life. As stated in the CPD rules, you must link each of your planned and completed activities to at least one development outcome. CPD providers must also give an indication of the anticipated learning outcome(s) in the evidence they provide to participants. The GDC encourages you to choose CPD to cover all four development outcomes in your cycle, however this is not a compulsory requirement. You must make sure each planned and completed activity has at least one of the outcomes (A, B, C, or D) linked. Below are the development outcomes and examples of what kinds of CPD might be linked to each. It is possible for some CPD activities to link to multiple outcomes. Development outcome A Effective communication with patients, the dental team and others across dentistry, including when obtaining consent, dealing with complaints, and raising concerns when patients are at risk; B Effective management of self and effective management of others or effective work with others in the dental team, in the interests of patients; providing constructive leadership where appropriate; C Maintenance and development of knowledge and skill within your field of practice; D Maintenance of skills, behaviours and attitudes which maintain patient confidence in you and the dental profession and put patients interests first. Example of CPD content Communication skills Consent Complaints handling Raising concerns Safeguarding Effective practice management Business management Team working Leadership skills Clinical and technical areas of study Radiography Cross infection control Medical emergencies and CPR Emerging technologies and treatments CPD on quality assurance for MHRA CPD specific for your daily role(s) Upskilling opportunities Ethical and legal issues and developments Professional behaviours Equality and diversity training To see examples of how to use the development outcomes, please see the GDC s PDP template and activity log template on our website.

12 Reflection The aim of reflection is for you to think about the outcomes of your CPD activity, focussing on what you have learned from the activity and how this influences your daily practice and duties. Reflection is an individual process that has a different meaning and applications for everyone. You should reflect in the way that suits you best. This might be after each individual activity, or more periodically throughout the year. You might like to reflect on your own, or with a mentor, peer or employer. Example 1 A dental nurse has decided they need a general update of their skills and knowledge across their field of practice. They identify the individual areas where they need an update, and then find the CPD activities to address them. After each activity, the dental nurse reflects on the learning gained and how they will implement this into their daily work. They record against each activity in their CPD activity log as they go. The enhanced CPD scheme is not prescriptive about how you reflect, or how you record that reflection has taken place. Depending on your individual preferences for reflection, you can tailor your records Example 2 accordingly. You may like to include reflection A dentist has started working with as a feature in your template for your CPD implants but has identified this as an area records so you record some reflection after for consolidation and development. They each activity, or you might find that your plan a suite of activities to meet this need reflection is more effective when it is less and at the end of this they organise a structured. For example, you might like to case study event with their peer network reflect on your CPD and PDP at the end of to reflect on the learning gained, and how each year, by writing a summary of your they have implemented this into their reflections. Or you might prefer to have practice. Afterwards the dentist makes a discussions with another colleague, a mentor summary of the discussion, and records it or employer, a peer group etc., and in their CPD activity log. summarise your reflections afterwards. The way that you record this kind of reflection for your records is up to you, but you should make a record that it has taken place in your log of CPD activity. Throughout your cycle, you should also consider how your reflections on CPD impact your PDP and whether this needs adjusting. To see examples of questions that might prompt reflection, as well as records of reflection, please see the GDC s activity log template on our website.

13 13 6 Meeting the verifiable requirements The GDC does not approve any providers of CPD activity. You are responsible for selecting CPD that meets the requirements for verifiable activity. You are also responsible for obtaining and keeping the documentary evidence (e.g. certificates) that is required for your CPD record. You should use your professional judgement to decide whether or not you believe the CPD activity you have completed meets the requirements for verifiable CPD. As stated in Section 5.3, the information required from the CPD provider is listed below, and demonstrates that the CPD you have undertaken is verifiable: The subject, learning content, aims and objectives; The anticipated GDC development outcomes of the CPD; The date(s) that the CPD was undertaken; The total number of hours of CPD undertaken; The name of the professional who has participated in the CPD activity; That the CPD is subject to quality assurance, with the name of the person or body providing the quality assurance; Confirmation from the provider that the information contained in it is full and accurate. It should also include your registration number. If you are unsure whether an activity meets the criteria for verifiable CPD, before you start, you should ask the CPD provider to give you written information about how the activity will meet the requirements of verifiable CPD (above) before you agree to take part. We recommend that all dental professionals, as consumers of CPD, make careful choices when investing time and money in CPD products and services and obtain advance assurances as to the quality and value for money. We also encourage all CPD providers to make written participant feedback a part of their provision and to respond constructively and promptly where concerns are raised about the quality of products and services. All registrants who provide or deliver CPD products and services should be familiar with our guidance on advertising that can be found on our website.

14 14 7 Types of activity that can be included Continuing professional development (CPD) describes the variety of activities that you can do to maintain and build your skills and knowledge in your field of practice. Whilst you may find that non-verifiable CPD is beneficial to your learning needs, you only need to declare your verifiable CPD to the GDC. Please refer to section 5.3 on the evidence required to show that your activity is verifiable. Examples of types of verifiable CPD may include (but are not exclusive to): Courses and lectures; Training days; Hands-on clinical training or workshops; Clinical audit; Attending conferences; E-learning activity. The GDC recommends that you carry out a diverse range of activities, with an emphasis on opportunities for discussions and interactive learning with fellow professionals. 8 Recommended topics You must plan your CPD activity as it relates to your field of practice during your CPD cycle. To support you in your CPD choices, the GDC recommends some important CPD topics that will relate to many dental professionals and their field of practice. The recommendations will be continually reviewed to ensure they are current and provide an important contribution to patient safety. You can find the live list of recommended topics on our website. Please note these topics are not compulsory for dental professionals to cover, and you must think carefully about what is relevant to your individual field of practice, and other regulations or qualifications that require you to meet certain CPD requirements regularly.

15 15 9 Making your statements 9.1 Your annual CPD statement Every year of your cycle you must make an annual CPD statement. This is to let the GDC know that you are keeping up with the requirements of the scheme. If you don t make your statement or meet the requirements, you may be putting your registration at risk. You will be notified to make your CPD statement when you get your annual renewal notice, but you can update your statement at any point in the year. Your CPD year runs the same as your registration year and so for dentists, the CPD year is 1 January 31 December, and for dental care professionals, the CPD year is 1 August 31 July. Your annual CPD statement includes: A declaration of the number of hours of CPD you have completed during your CPD year or, if you have not completed any hours in that year, then confirmation that you have completed zero hours; A declaration that you have kept a CPD record; A declaration that you have a plan (PDP) in place; A declaration that the CPD you have completed and recorded is relevant to your current or intended field of practice; A declaration that your statement is full and accurate. Remember, the number of hours you declare must match your activity log and the evidence you have collected. On egdc (the GDC s registrant website where you manage your registration), you will be prompted to make your statement and enter the number of hours through the annual renewal process which usually opens around six weeks before the end of the registration year. You can also make your statement at any point and update it throughout the year. You can log on to egdc at When your CPD year has ended and the statement period has closed, you will not be able to amend your CPD statement for that year. You can make your statement up to 28 days after your CPD year has ended. For dentists this is 28 January; for dental care professionals this is 28 August. However please be aware that any CPD you do after the official end date of the year (31 December for dentists and 31 July for dental care professionals) cannot be counted towards the previous year. If there are issues with compliance or failure to make an annual or end of cycle statement, the GDC will send a notice to the professional, who is then given 28 days to respond. If a professional does not respond to a notice from the GDC, they are putting their registration at risk. In this notice period, any CPD completed will not be counted towards the previous year s CPD.

16 Your end of cycle statement In the final year of your cycle, your annual statement includes: A declaration of the total number of hours of CPD you have undertaken in your five year cycle; A declaration that you have kept a CPD record; A declaration that you have kept a plan (PDP); A declaration that the CPD you have completed and recorded is relevant to your current or intended field of practice; A declaration that your statement is full and accurate. Please note: you will not routinely be asked to provide your CPD record or evidence when making any of your CPD statements. We will request this from you if you have not met the requirements of the scheme, if you have failed to make one of your statements, or if you are randomly selected as part of our regular sampling to check that requirements are being met. For more information on the sampling see section Your cycle period The start of your CPD cycle depends on the date you first registered with the GDC. Your CPD cycle is always five years long. The tables below are for information only, to tell you which CPD cycle you are in, depending on the year you joined the register. You can also log onto egdc to check what your cycle is. If you are a dentist: When you registered On or after 1 January 2002 Between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2001 Between 1 January 1980 and 31 December 1989 On or before 31 December 1979 Your first CPD cycle start date 1 January in the year after you first registered 1 January 2002 (if you were on the register on 31 December 2001) 1 January 2003 (if you were not on the register on 31 December 2001) 1 January January 2004 If you are a dental care professional: When you registered On or after 1 January 2010 Between 1 August 2009 and 31 July 2010 Between 1 August 2008 and 31 July 2009 On or before 31 July 2008 Your first CPD cycle start date The next 1 August after you first registered 1 August August August 2008

17 17 11 Transitional arrangements Prior to 1 January 2022 for dentists and 1 August 2022 for DCPs and depending on where you are in your cycle, you may have to complete CPD based on both the 2008 CPD scheme and enhanced CPD scheme to be compliant at the end of your cycle. A pro-rata approach will be applied, taking into account the requirements of the old and new scheme. After you renew your registration for 2018, you will be able to log onto egdc where an individual calculation has been done for each dental professional to show you what your specific requirements are over the transition period. For a general idea of how the transition period works, please use our online transition tool. Once your current cycle ends, you will start the next cycle on the enhanced CPD scheme only. If you are restoring your registration prior to 2022 you may need to provide CPD evidence to be compliant with the 2008 CPD scheme and enhanced CPD scheme. This will depend on where you were in your CPD cycle when you left the registers and a pro-rata approach will be applied for the hours required. Example 1 If you are a dental hygienist / dental therapist / orthodontic therapist / clinical dental technician and your current CPD cycle is 1 August July 2022, your requirements for your cycle over the transition period are: One year under the old scheme, and four years under the enhanced CPD scheme; You must complete a total of 90 hours of CPD by the end of your cycle (2022), of which 70 must be verifiable; You must complete at least 10 hours every two consecutive years in the four years under the enhanced CPD scheme. Example 2 If you are a dentist and your current CPD cycle is , and you left the register in 2017 and wished to restore to the register in 2019, you would need to provide evidence of your CPD for years As your cycle is over the CPD transition period, you would be required to: Submit evidence for two years under the 2008 scheme (100 hours of which 30 must be verifiable), and one year under the enhanced CPD scheme (20 hours of verifiable CPD); You would be required to submit CPD evidence totalling 120 hours of CPD with your application, of which 50 must be verifiable.

18 18 12 Time off the register If you take some time off the register, or you are removed from the register for any reason, you must have completed a certain amount of CPD to be registered again, to demonstrate to the GDC you have maintained your skills and knowledge. This means that you must carry on doing and recording CPD even while you are not on the register. If you voluntarily decide to leave the register with the intention of returning in the future, you should consider the CPD rules and make sure that you know what you will need to do to restore your name to the register in the future. Make sure you know before you leave the register. If you are unable to demonstrate the required amount of CPD when you apply to restore, there is a risk of you not being allowed to return to the register. If you have been off the register for any length of time and your five year CPD cycle has not ended during this time you will need to provide evidence of your CPD when you restore. This will include documentary evidence of hours of CPD for each complete year of the cycle that has elapsed since it began. The number of hours required will depend on the professional title(s) you are restoring for. Section 11 provides an example of this. If you have been off the register for any period of time and your five year CPD cycle ended on your last registered date, or during your period off the register, you will need to provide documentary evidence of your CPD hours completed while off the register. These hours must have been undertaken during the five year period immediately preceding the date of your application. The number of hours required will depend on the professional title(s) you are restoring for. If you are applying to restore before 2022, you will need to demonstrate that you have complied with the transitional arrangements that may apply. Please see Section 11 for information on transitional arrangements. For further information about requirements for restoration please go to our website at 13 Temporary registrants If you are a temporary registrant on the dentists register, you must undertake at least 20 hours of CPD during each CPD year. You must meet all other requirements as outlined in this guidance. You will be asked to declare your CPD statement upon completion of a year s worth of direction. This will be required before the next direction is granted. Temporary registrants are not able to apply for a grace period. Please contact the GDC for more information if you are a temporary registrant.

19 19 14 Grace period There may be exceptional circumstances which mean that you are not able to complete the necessary hours of CPD before the end of your CPD cycle. If this happens, you can apply for a grace period. We will only grant a request for a grace period when you satisfy us there is a good reason to do so. You can only apply for a grace period during the final six months of your CPD cycle (from 1 July in the fifth and final year of your cycle if you are a dentist, or from 1 February in the fifth and final year of your cycle if you are a dental care professional). Grace periods do not apply to the first four years of a cycle. If you wish to apply for grace in the last year of your cycle, you will be able to apply through egdc when you reach the eligible time period. A grace period will be for 56 days from 1 January for dentists and from 1 August for dental care professionals. Your next CPD cycle will still begin as normal on the same date. Any CPD completed during the grace period to complete your old cycle cannot be counted for your new cycle as well. If you are not given a grace period, you must meet the CPD requirements within your cycle or your registration may be at risk. If you do not meet the CPD requirements by the end of the grace period, you may be removed from the register. 15 Random sampling of CPD records The GDC can randomly select professionals to check their records at any time during the CPD cycle. Please note the GDC can carry out sampling up to five years after your cycle is complete, so you must keep your record for five years following each cycle. To carry out the record checks, the GDC randomly selects dental professionals from the registers, with proportionately equal representation from each of the registrant titles. If you do not meet your CPD requirements or fail to make any of the statements, you may also be included in the sample to check your records. If you are selected for the checks, you will be contacted by the GDC and asked to submit your CPD record which includes: Your PDP; Your log of completed CPD activity; The evidence (e.g. certificates) you have collected from each activity. You will be given a date by when you must submit your documentation this will be a minimum notice period of 28 days from when you are initially notified of your selection for checking records.

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